After a very close call immediately after my heart attack I'm rehabbing

This is part 3 of 3 blog posts that I am using to tell the story of the massive heart attack I had on Thanksgiving Day (2018). If you missed them, go back and read Part 1 and Part 2.

As I’ve said time and time again, I am so grateful. However, I did have a heart attack. A massive heart attack. My heart was damaged, and my life will never be the same. I spoke with someone who had been through this with a family member and his description of what you feel after the fact was spot on.

I survived a heart attack that 60% of people don't survive

This post is the first of three that I will use to tell the story of the massive heart attack I had on Thanksgiving Day (2018). Over the next two weeks, I will continue to share my story. Stay tuned for Parts 2 and 3…

It is still surreal to say (or write) those words. But it’s true, it’s not a typo. It’s not clickbait — it’s real life for me and my family. On Thanksgiving night, I had a massive heart attack and I’m so grateful that I’m here to talk about it.

Since the release of The 7 Rings of Marriage, my wife, Stephana, and I have done a bunch of appearances and interviews. This was our first international TV appearance. I’m excited to share with you is this interview we did on Turning Point International.

We speak with Holly Flood about how we made it through difficult times in our marriage, and how those difficulties helped us connect on a deeper level in marriage. Check it out!

Do you feel you've done a good job in preparing your kids to launch?

This is a guest post from Jaicey Bledsoe. Jaicey is a film student (and my daughter!), with a passion to share stories through writing, acting, and film production. Jaicey will be going on her first missions trip next month and to say I’m proud of her is the understatement of the year! Check out Jaicey’s blog where you can catch up on her latest film and missions projects.

How much influence do you think you really have on your kids?

Have you ever wondered what long-term impact your parenting is having?

Ever been worried about the kinds of choices your kids will make when they are on their own?

Can you eliminate this one unimportant distraction for one month?

I recently made the decision to turn off all the notifications on my cell phone. I just reached the point where I was overwhelmed. No matter what time of day, no matter what I was doing, and no matter where I was I just kept getting interrupted.

Notifications distracted me from everything—from work, from my family, and even from myself. I learned that removing them is a great way to bless your wife and kids.

Finding quality family time is a challenge for most families. You have work, your kids’ school, your social life, and extracurricular activities for your kids that all compete. It can be hit-and-miss for many families.

My wife and I were talking the other day about how loving our kids were to one another when we brought each new baby home from the hospital. Our daughter, now 14, just about loved her two little brothers to death.

Our oldest son, couldn’t keep the smile off his face and just couldn’t get enough of his little bro. But sometimes today we can barely get them to stand next to each other for a photo, hug one another, or even be in the same room with one another without some type of disagreement or fight.

Being a parent is one of the most important jobs in the world. I think we can all agree on that. One thing that may differ, is what is the most important aspect of our parental “job description.” If I polled you right now, I’d probably get a different answer from almost everybody. So how can we be effective and successful as parents if we don’t know our most important role?

About Me

I lost my job, and my family was homeless, yet I learned some valuable lessons from it all, which I now write and speak about. My words are in The Huffington Post, All Pro Dad, The Good Men Project, and Disney's Babble.

My new book, The 7 Rings of Marriage, releases February 1, 2016, and comes highly recommended by many, including #1 New York Times bestselling author Dr. Gary Chapman.

My goal is to help you better lead and love your family, so you can have a lasting and fulfilling marriage, and meaningful influence on your kids.